Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.09.2018, Page 12

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12 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • September 15 2018
FAMILY ANNOUNCEMENTS
OBITUARIES
Robert Jochum Asgeirsson
July 6, 1943 – June 12, 2018
Robert passed away peacefully
at Peace Arch Hospital with his family
by his side, after battling prostate
cancer for nine years. He is survived
by his loving family: son David (Elissa
Strome) and daughter Sandra Droulis
(Nick); his beloved grandchildren,
Emma and Alex Asgeirsson, and
Lukas, Samantha, and Brady Droulis;
his sister Sigrid Kellas (Bruce) and
nephews Steven, Robert, and Brent. In
addition, he leaves his ex-wife Linda
and many cousins in Canada and
Iceland.
Robert was a talented visual
artist who studied architecture before
working in video and film production,
still photography, graphic design,
and book publishing. He joined CJAY-
TV in Winnipeg in 1963, where his
photography and cinematography
skills were developed and, in 1969, he
moved to Vancouver, BC, where he felt
that further advancement in motion
picture and television production was
possible. Robert first worked on staff
at BCTV (Global) as a documentary and
current affairs film cameraman, then
decided to freelance. He subsequently
worked with the CBC for many years
and for many different network and
regional programs. As time progressed,
he formed his own small production
company and took on projects that
involved program creation, directing,
and producing. His work won local
and international awards and he was
nominated for a Gemini Award in 1989.
He endeavored to produce the highest
quality product in every project he
undertook. A professional friend said:
“Good enough was never good enough
for Robert; he strived for perfection in
every shot. Sometimes his ‘just one
more ...’ annoyed the people with him
at the time, but all was forgiven after
seeing the result back from the lab.”
Shortly after moving to British
Columbia, Robert became involved
with the Icelandic Canadian Club of
BC and, in addition to his work for this
club, contributed immeasurably to the
Icelandic Archives of British Columbia,
the Icelandic National League of
North America, the Icelandic Lutheran
Church, the Scandinavian Community
Centre, the Scandinavian Cultural
Society, and the Icelandic Care Home
Höfn Society.
In 1999, at the age of 56, Robert
noted that he had spent 15 years
publishing the club newsletter, eight
years as president, 27 years with
the archives, 15 years working with
the club library, and 12 years as
membership person. The database he
created while doing membership is still
used as the backbone of membership
documentation and is an important
legacy, representing a record of many
of the people of Icelandic descent in
our area.
Robert first became interested
in collecting archival material about
Icelandic settlers and the Icelandic
communities when he realized
much of it was being lost. With
his photographic and printmaking
background, he started restoring the
deteriorating images, bringing them
back, as best he could, to their original
condition and collecting pictorial
images, documents, books, art work,
and recordings for over 40 years.
The Icelandic Archives of BC now
holds several thousand early images
depicting the Icelanders’ experience
on the West Coast. His last effort
regarding the archives was to create
an archive trust and to find a home
for the collection in the UBC Library
Special Collections Department.
He created the Ströndin Radio
show, which is now Ströndin Internet
Radio on the Icelandic National League
of North America website.
A founding member of the
Scandinavian Cultural Society, Robert
served the Scandinavian Cultural
Society in various capacities including
president and newsletter editor.
At the time of the Nordic Spirit:
Early Icelandic Settlements on the
West Coast exhibition, it was said of
Robert: “Although his body was born
in Canada, he says his soul was born
in Iceland. Robert Jochum Asgeirsson
has stayed connected to his Icelandic
roots his entire life. He was born
in Manitoba, son of an Icelandic
immigrant father and a mother whose
Icelandic parents arrived with the first
settlers in the 1870s.”
Because of his work in the
Icelandic community, both the Icelandic
Canadian Club of BC and the Icelandic
National League of North America
honoured Robert with Honorary Life
Memberships. An exceptional person,
he will be truly missed.
Jónína Gudrun Britton
(Nee Jonasson)
Peacefully, on Saturday, August
18, 2018, Jónína passed away at
Golden West Centennial Lodge at the
age of 103 years and 7 months.
Jónína was born on January 14,
1915 to Magnusina Helga Jónsdóttir
Borgfjord and her husband, Tómas T.
Jónasson, on the family homestead
“Engimyri”, Icelandic River (now
Riverton), Manitoba. She was third
child in a family of seven.
Jónína’s paternal grandparents
(afi and amma) were Tómas Ágúst
Jónasson and Guðrún Egedía
Jóhannesdóttir, who had emigrated
from Gloppa in Öxnadalur in Northern
Iceland in 1876 and homesteaded
at Engimýri on the Icelandic River
in New Iceland after spending one
winter on Mikley (Hecla Island). Tómas
was brother to Sigtryggur Jónasson,
referred to as the “Father of New
Iceland” and who along with several
others secured the land known as
New Iceland where many Icelandic
immigrants settled in what is now part
of Manitoba.
Jónína’s father, Tómas T.
Jónasson, was born at Engimýri,
Icelandic River, in 1887. In 1912, he
married Magnúsína Helga Jónsdóttir
(Borgfjord) daughter of Jon Magnusson
Borgfjord and Gudrun Eggertsdottir
Borgfjord from the Árdal Settlement
near Árborg, and together ‘Tommi’
and ‘Magga’ took over the homestead
at Engimýri. They had seven
children: Thelma (Palson), Florence
(Johnson), Helga (Baldwinson),
Aðalheiður (MacMillan), Sesselja
Grace (Gudmundson), and Tómas A.
Jónasson, who later farmed Engimýri
together with his wife, Winnifred.
Jónína was raised in Riverton
where she attended school at which
she excelled winning several awards
for high marks. As one of the oldest
children, she had responsibilities for
looking after the younger children, for
household chores as well as looking
after the farm animals which included
milking cows before she went to
school in the morning. She completed
high school before moving to Winnipeg
in 1932. She first worked as a nanny
and later for Perth’s. During her early
years in Winnipeg, she chummed with
several girlfriends; Mabel, Mary, Grace
and Orla nicknaming themselves the
Cinderella Girls. She also developed
very close friendships with Norma
and Margie. Their friendships endured
throughout their lives. As all the friends
married, the friendships expanded to
include the husbands.
Jónína married Norman Britton on
May 6, 1944 and settled in St. James
where they raised two daughters.
Jónína lived in the same house in St.
James for almost 70 years until March
2017.
Jónína was known for her
kindness, hospitality and sense of
humour as well as strong willed
determination. She often referred to
herself as a “tough old Viking” which
was evident to the end. Jónína and
Norman’s home was the place where
the extended family stayed when
they came to Winnipeg and they
always found room for everyone. She
was well known for her cooking and
baking especially for her vínarterta
which she made for family members
and friends including Neil Bardal and
John Harvard, the former Lieutenant
Governor of Manitoba. They hosted
many family dinners as well as dinners
and ‘rumoli’ nights with friends. In
their retirement, Norman and Jónína
travelled to England, Scotland, Iceland,
New England and New York, the
Canadian Maritimes and Alaska.
She was very artistic and made
and decorated wedding cakes for her
daughters and their friends as well
as for many nieces and nephews
and friends. She became an excellent
and prolific oil painter in her 60’s and
70’s. Jónína maintained a strong faith
throughout her life and was a member
of St. James United Church for 60
years and active in the UCW during
those years. She volunteered tirelessly
for the church events and fundraisers
as well as for a number of other
charities.
Jónína made many friends
through her varied activities and
interests, which she cherished. In
2015, Jónína celebrated her 100th
birthday with over 60 of her friends
and family in attendance. The highlight
was receiving letters from the
President and the Foreign Minister of
Iceland which were presented by the
Icelandic Consul in Winnipeg.
Jónína maintained a strong
interest in Iceland and Icelandic
culture She could read, write and
speak Icelandic fluently taking great
pride when visitors came from Iceland
and complimented her on how well
she spoke the language. She visited
Iceland 4 times; the last time was in
2005 when she was 90.
Throughout the years, Jónína has
subscribed to Lögberg-Heimskringla,
and with her ability to read and
write Icelandic, she has made
several contributions to the paper by
translating articles from Icelandic to
English. She has assisted friends who
were unable to understand written
Icelandic, by translating letters from
relatives in Iceland, and also by
translating return letters from English
to Icelandic.
In 2011, Jónína revisited her
childhood home at Engimýri in
Riverton which is being restored by
the Icelandic River Heritage Sites Inc.
Jónína walked through the house with
Nelson Gerrard describing in detail the
interior of the house at the time she
lived there as a child and adolescent.
She vividly told about the years when
her great uncle Sigtryggur Jónasson
lived with the family at Engimýri.
On October 20th 2012, Jónína and
Rannveig (Jonasson) Foreman jointly
unveiled the statue of Sigtryggur
Jónasson by the Icelandic River.
Jónína’s passing, marks the end of an
era for the family with the loss of our
direct link between Icelandic pioneers
and their descendants. She leaves a
legacy of strong family tradition and
Icelandic heritage.
Left to cherish her memory
are her daughters, Donna Britton
(Barry Rousseau), Judy Schilling and
her beloved granddaughter Lauren
Rousseau; many nieces and nephews
and their children. As well as many
friends and family in Winnipeg, Iceland
and Australia. She was predeceased
by her parents, her husband Norman
in 1992 and all her siblings, a brother
and five sisters and many of her
lifelong friends.
In lieu of flowers, donations may
be made to Icelandic River Heritage
Sites Inc. Box 555, Riverton, MB R0C
2R0 www.icelandicriver.com.
Góða nótt elskan mín
NEIL BARDAL
FUNERAL CENTRE
204-949-2200
neilbardalinc.com
Darwin Sigurgeir
Sigurgeirson
November 26, 1939 –
May 27, 2018
Born into the Icelandic
community of Hecla, MB,
Darwin passed away on May 27,
2018 from respiratory problems.
Darwin was part of a large
Icelandic Canadian family. He was
predeceased by his parents, Geiri and
Johanna, siblings, Victoria, Bill, Diana,
and Paul. He is survived by his sister,
Elin and many nieces and nephews.
Darwin grew up in Steveston,
BC, and graduated from Richmond
Senior High School. He attended
University of British Columbia, where
he obtained his bachelor of cocial
work degree. After working several
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Ph: 204-376-5153
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